THE DOPPLER EFFECT

Around The Sound interviewed Laurent Shervington at a “capsule hotel in Tokyo” where he was staying but I wasn’t – because I only make journalist money and therefore can’t afford a train-fare, let alone a flight to Japan. Laurent is a guitarist-slash-vocalist-slash-frontman in a local Synthpop outfit called Didion’s Bible, who are evidently the subject of this article. We were joined via a secure link by Lana Rothie – Didion’s synth-operator, and Drew Krapljanov – who is also their guitarist-slash-vocalist-slash-frontman.

According to Krapljanov, Didion’s Bible is an “experimental, unintentionally comedic Talking Heads pastiche – littered with keyboard drones, guitar destruction, pop culture references and spoken word. The conception of the band was based around a challenge that Laurent and myself conceived, inspired by a quote from a very short-lived Punk band, Rubber Daddy: ‘If you can’t record and release an album in four hours, then it’s shit.’

“So basically I had booked a gig at Bar 459 before realising half the members of my band were away” added Shervington. “So I called Drew. He told me he had a few songs kicking around, and we decided to do a one-off show with some friends”. Drew picks the story up – “The performance that resulted was fun, revealing and overall, weird. It is one great way to approach making music; make it immediate, experimental and fun!”

‘Performance’ is another word that one associates with Didion’s Bible, specifically ‘performance art’ – Krapljanov and Shervington are fairly excitable frontmen. “I feel that performing is inherently an unnatural thing, and through embracing it as such, provides an avenue whereby one can destabilise the codified movements of their own body, giving way to more impulse driven expression” mused Krapljanov – “The best way to ‘embody’ a certain character is to articulate this viewpoint at its disintegration, at the point where its very essence vacates itself”.

So basically, they cut sick on stage.

Right, so they’ve been together “a year and a half approximately”, they have a single called ‘Script Speak’ and they’ve got a fair bit to say. What’s next? Hopefully recording another release in the very near future”.